At the CCJ Solutions Summit, Nov. 13, in Palm Springs, Calif., fleet executives and managers received some timely advice from the former CEO of Starbucks, Pathmark Supermarkets and Extended Stay Hotels.
“Our workforce is changing and it’s changing quickly,” said Jim Donald, who lead turnaround efforts at these companies by using creative methods to engage employees in the work.
Referencing a 2015 study from Microsoft, Donald said that a goldfish now has a longer attention span than the average human. A goldfish patiently waits for nine seconds as food flakes fall in a fishbowl. By comparison, the attention span of the average human is eight seconds. More concerning is that the attention span has dropped four seconds since 2012.
“Just think — if you only had eight seconds to coach, to counsel, to mentor or to train a driver because of his attention span, you’d find out that you would do things differently,” he said.
The challenge for leadership in the 21st Century, he said, is to set a clear, concise message that people will understand and use to get things done.
During his presentation at the CCJ Solutions Summit, Donald shared the following strategies he has used in his career to get companies through peaks and valleys — including bankruptcy.
The science of storytelling
